We’re Singin’ and Dancin’ in the Rain

Made in the 1950s, set in the 1920s, featuring an 18th-century movie — aww, yiss, it’s Singin’ in the Rain (1952), a technicolor masterpiece of music, dance, and wacky costumes by the master, Walter Plunkett! This is one of the funniest and most flat-out entertaining movies ever made, chock full of brilliant choreography and catchy songs, all wrapped around a clever story about Hollywood when movies switched from silent to talky. But let’s face it, the 1920s costumes aren’t exactly period-correct most of the time. Oh they do the job, in that Plunkett-y way, that’s for sure. So while stormy clouds chase everyone from the place, I’ve got a smile on my face lookin’ at the costumes from Singin’ in the Rain…

The scene opens in 1927 at the premiere of the latest Don Lockwood / Lina Lamont movie, The Royal Rascal. All the Hollywood glitteri are there on the red carpet, and the fans are going wild!

They’re so sporty and relatable to their fan base!

Here’s Zip Girl (no, I don’t have any idea what that means either), darling of the flapper set, and blatant gold-digger, Zelda Zanders, wearing the skins of her enemies.

Next it’s that exotic star, the Black Widow, Olga Mara. (I need her dress, like whoa.)

We’ve got a fainter in stripes, down front.

Lockwood and Lamont, they’re a household name — like bacon and eggs!

What is going on with Lina’s hair? It’s like this wacky curl-helmet.

Pushy radio lady asks Don about his background so we can get some nifty vaudeville numbers with the mocking “dignity, always dignity” cover-up.

Fit as a fiddle and wearing remarkably well-matched plaids.

Don finally gets his big break as a stunt man opposite Lina, and their fakey-fake romance is born.

Cheesy western movie, and Lina has the exact same hair as on the 1927 red carpet.

Check Lina’s wacky pink satin lounging number with black lace top — note the high collar, that’s going to be her trademark in most every costume.

OK, back to the present-day premiere! It’s time to screen The Royal Rascal — apparently, Lockwood and Lamont are really into these period pieces.

After the super-popular movie screening, Don and Cosmo head out, only to have Cosmo’s car break down and Don is ravaged by screaming fans. So he jumps into a bystander’s car. Dun dun dun, it’s a plot point, folks! The driver is gonna be his real love interest.

Could Kathy be any more plain?

After Kathy pretends to disdain Don’s advances, Don arrives at the post-premiere party. The whole gang is there.

Vamp tango FTW!

Don is fangirled by the best-dressed extras on set.

The studio producer has lined up entertainment for this shin-dig. First, he demos this new-fangled technology called “talking pictures” — it’ll never catch on, hah.

Just another cliché day on the set. At least those are some nice plus-fours on Don.

Don’s feeling mopey (because being the biggest star in Hollywood is rough work), so BFF Cosmo puts himself in the hospital for four days doing the funniest song-and-dance routine ever filmed, “Make ’em Laugh.”

Back to work for Lockwood and Lamont — their next hysterical historical is The Dueling Cavalier, supposedly set during the French Revolution.

Ooo, look at the red heels on Don’s shoes — one historically accurate touch! Doesn’t outweigh the super-modern shape of his coat. Or her silly head necklace.

Can you count all the things wrong with these wigs?

These extras look like they should be in a Civil War movie, not 18th century.

Wait, stop filming! Talkies are actually a thing! Crap! Time for a wackadoodle montage:

Obviously, the best way to shake cocktails.

Let’s sing a somewhat rape-y song surrounded by girls in bridesmaid dresses.

And for no apparent reason, the “Beautiful Girl” song morphs into a fashion show — did Walter Plunkett have extra costumes laying around? Not complaining, just wondering.

Loungewear for Aspen snow bunnies on acid.

Paul Poiret inspired opera coat trimmed in genuine Muppet fur.

Tennis for girls with balls!

Let’s go for full-on ’20s clichés with all the fringe, all the time.

Time for a swim in super matchy-matchy blues.

Flying saucer hat OR organdy ruffled cuffs, pick one, please queen.

Who decided threading the hat’s sash through the top and skirt was a good idea? WTF?

I’m sure Erté was the intent, but all I can think of is “I Dream of Jeanie.”

What is up with all the red hosiery? Also, is that a man in drag? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

1920s Hooker Barbie.

High-class serial killer fashion for the 1940s.

This movie is predictive of 1960s wedding fashions more than looking back at the 1920s.

Is this a 1950s gay man’s idea of what straight men want? I mean, it’s essentially a guy surrounded by high-fashion models, even tho’ it’s poncy and pretentious as hell.

After the drugs wear off, Don finds Kathy, and they meet cute for the most unsubtle first date ever.

Is this how movie stars get laid?

Hey, get a room — we’ve got a movie to make here, folks! Squeaky Lina needs to learn how to talk real good, and Don and Cosmo need another dance number, stat.

This is the classiest outfit Lina gets; pity we only see the top half. Also, check out those gloves!

LIPS! (That’s a Rocky Horror reference, for the three of you out there on my wavelength.)

Now that we know how to speak most excellent well, it’s time to re-film The Dueling Cavalier as a taking picture.

Sewing the microphone onto the bodice — oh this will make the dress look SO much better.

Sewing the microphone on the shoulder — I’m not convinced either.

Well, at least we know there’s a lot of petticoats under there.

If you think the advance screening of this flick is going to be good, then you’re as dumb as Lina.

She wears her sunglasses at night (or inside).

It’s the extras that get me here — wacky outfits and skirt-hiking, they never go out of style.

Seriously, Lina’s coat and hat are awesome. She may be a dimwit, but some of her costumes…

After this flop, Don, Cosmo, and Kathy go home to commiserate and think up another dance routine or two.

Kathy’s sporty little dress is cute and rather historically accurate, but she’s in mousy colors for most of the movie.

Debbie Reynolds’ feet bled after this routine. HARDCORE.

For as integral as Cosmo is to this movie, he gets zilch for costumes — except for this tie.

And time for the titular song-and-dance routine. While it’s good, “Singin’ in the Rain” isn’t my fave. This is just a nice little song and an amusing dance. I much prefer the faster, complicated routines like “Good Morning” or “Moses Supposes.” Yes, I’m a heathen, so sue me.

I’m amused by the stores he walks by during the song — like this dress shop.

A smoke shop with this giant pinup graphic (which is more ’50s than ’20s IMO).

And finally a hat shop! I like this neighborhood.

OK, here’s a conundrum — why is Don’ walking through these streets in the rain? The scene starts with him kissing Kathy good-bye as she leaves what appeared to be HIS mansion. Before the “Good Morning” song, he says he’ll have to sell the whole thing once the shitty version of The Dueling Cavalier is released. Why did he walk out in the rain after Kathy? Where is he going? Is that really Cosmo’s mansion? What is going on in this movie? What does it all mean?

Anyway, now we’re going to record Kathy singing and Lina lip-syncing, and the movie-within-the-movie is going to be called The Dancing Cavalier, whoo-hoo!

And finally Kathy gets a cute dress!

Lookit the cute green accents!

And Lina looks rather subdued in camel and navy, just a touch of beading, and a smart hat.

Lina still has her trademark stand-up collar.

And here’s where the movie goes TOTALLY off the rails with Gene Kelly’s 15 minutes of dancing masturbation. Sure, fine, it’s his movie, he can do what he wants. But I don’t have to like it. I freakin’ love musicals, but I want the pretense of a story. The “Broadway Melody” bit doesn’t make sense in any context. But Gene’s just gotta dance.

It’s a cartoon version of the 1920s.

You do you, Gene.

Enter, Cyd Charisse, Vamp.

Obviously, he wants her.

But first, he has to make his name on Broadway!

Finally, he hits up a posh party where…

It’s apparently Vamp Cyd’s wedding. Um, OK.

And he has a ballet dream sequence about the bride. (Did someone spike his drink?)

Annnnnnd Vamp Cyd goes off with her gangster boyfriend. /End Scene

Whew, now that’s over, back to the rest of the movie. Kathy is recording, Don is being all romantic, and Lina is about to throw a tantrum.

Another sad little dress for Kathy. Guess Plunkett wanted to draw a contrast between her and Lina.

Not that Lina’s outfit here is spectacular. But Zelda the fink looks faaaabulous in stripey green and yellow.

Lina’s gloves are divine with a double layer of scallops. Seriously, Plunkett did an amazing job on her accessories.

Lina may be dumb, but she ain’t stupid. She’ll blackmail the studio to get her way.

Again, great gloves!

At last, it’s the premiere of The Dancing Cavalier (which, if we ever saw the full length of that movie-within-a-movie, the plot would be utterly redic, but whatev).

Heh, you can see his modern undershirt through his costume shirt.

And Lina comes full circle with the same old hairstyle as she had at the very first scene in the movie.

About the author

A self-described ElderGoth, Trystan has been haunting the internet since the early 1990s. Always passionate about costume, from everyday office wear to outrageous twisted historical creations, she has maintained some of the earliest online costuming-focused resources on the web. Her costuming adventures are chronicled on her website, TrystanCraft. She also ran a popular fashion blog, This Is CorpGoth, dedicated to her “office drag.”

So were dream ballets de rigeur in the 50’s? Love the Kelly/O’Connor stuff like all right-thinking people, but I’m so glad to read a review of the whole dream sequence that accords it the proper lack of respect. Since I can’t resist a huge frock, all of the costumes in the Dancing Caveliers are my faves despite the period confusion. Thanks for a great lunch time read.

It definitely is an ego-trip. However, the whole sequence is saved for me by a single line right after it’s over. There’s been this huge elaborate dance number that has gone on 15 minutes too long, and it has that gigantic cinematic ending. Then it cuts back to reality and R.F says: “I can’t quite visualize it. I’d have to see it on film.” I grew up watching that movie, and I only noticed that line a few years ago. It gets me every time!

If it weren’t for the electric Cyd Charisse, I could take or leave the sequence in Singin’ in the Rain–does it have anything to do with the movie at all? But the ballet is easily my favorite part of An American in Paris! Apparently the only reason the studio execs greenlighted it was because Gene showed them the Red Shoes ballet over and over until they caved (and The Red Shoes would make a fabulous post like this, if you haven’t done it already). It may have been ego, but Gene Kelly’s fantasy sequences are miles better than similar scenes in other musicals like, say, Oklahoma.

I realize this is 3 years later, but yes. Dream Ballets were integral. I don’t know why. I assume drugs. It wasn’t just Gene Kelly. Flower Drum Song, Oklahoma…
Always utterly annoying if you like plot and narrative.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL TIME, now with extra snark from Frock Flicks!! It’s like Christmas in July!!!

And “Loungewear for Aspen snow bunnies on acid” — LOL!!!! I love the fashion show, though it has NOTHING to do with the plot (nor does the fantasy ballet at the end — it’s just an excuse to look at Cyd Charisse’s amazing legs.

By far, the best musical bit is Moses Supposes. Best line: “She’s so refined, I think I’ll kill myself” tied with “Why, I make more money than — than –Calvin Coolidge! Put together!” Jean Hagen was BRILLIANT.

I think the best costume has to be the one with the monkey fur. Or Lina’s outfit at the very end, it’s tough.

Re wigs: Yes, I can. But I love the movie. I always wanted Cosmo & Kathy to end up together. They had more in common.

I know Plunkett is one of the effing costume gods of Hollywood, after all he did GWTW, but the costumes here ran the gammet from meh to acid-induced horrors (Fashion show). I thought during one of the gifs, you were going to undercut the Time Warp from Rocky Horror.

Didn’t know they dubbed Ms Reynolds. Sacrilegious studio heads.

I wondered if the faux 18th century Lina Lamont costumes were used in Norma Shearer’s Marie Antoinette as background shots or refurbished?

I ADORE “Good Morning”
I saw this film years after being an O’Connor fan (I saw all the Francis the Talking Mule films as a kid). It was wonderful to see O’Connor in color and singing and dancing.
Now, IF ONLY he and Danny Kaye had done a film together…

It was A Thing to have a fashion show in the middle of the movie back then; I’ve seen lots of them. I guess there was no easy way for ordinary people to see fashion shows, so…?

Also, I strongly suspect that this movie is to blame for the prevalence of chainette fringe ‘flapper’ dresses. I have never once seen an actual 1920s dress made of entirely fringe (strips of fabric like Cyd’s wearing, yes, but ALL fringe?) and the earliest I’ve seen an all-fringe dress is the ones on all the background dancers in the fantasy ballet sequence here.

This is one of my favourite movies of all time. It’s ridiculous and the costumes are even more so*, but the jokes are hilarious and Jean Hagen cracks me up every time.

*(but then almost all ‘period’ costumes in old Hollywood movies are hilariously wrong. Hell, modern movies. Don’t get me started on beachy waves and forehead necklaces!)

I love this movie so much!!! It just makes me happy.
“While lounging in her boudoir,
this Simple, Plain pajama!
Her suit is trimmed with monkey fur!
to lend a dash of drama!”
At the beginning red carpet scene, I believe Zelda is described as “It Girl,” a la Clara Bow.

“I’ve only ever seen a girl-in-a-cake in movies — did anyone actually do that IRL?”

Yep. It came out of the tradition of presenting “surprise” dishes at ancient feasts (“Fellini: Satyricon” presents a good example), going on to incorporate live animals and birds inside food items. (The nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence” immortalizes this practice.)

According to Wikipedia, “in 1626, the Duke and Duchess of Buckingham presented King Charles I of England and Queen Henrietta Maria with a pie from which sprang the dwarf Jeffrey Hudson, in a suit of armor.”

By the turn of the 20th century, the practice of a girl in the dish got started; from Wikipedia:

“Stanford White put on a dinner on May 20, 1895 that included a scantily-clad girl, Susie Johnson, emerging from a pie made from galvanized iron, accompanied by a recitation of “Sing a Song of Sixpence”.

“A few months later, the “Pie Girl” having disappeared, The World [tabloid of the day] ran a lurid expose of the episode that emphasized the prominence of the guests, who included Nikola Tesla and Charles Dana Gibson, and the scandalous nature of White’s affairs.

“White himself was eventually murdered by Harry Thaw, the husband of White’s former lover, Evelyn Nesbit [which formed a section of E. L. Doctorow’s “Ragtime”]. The episode became “a sign for the decadence of art and high society.”

“By the 1950s, women popping out of cakes was common at male-only parties in the United States. It eventually became common for showgirls to pop out of cakes for celebratory occasions.”

And for no apparent reason, the “Beautiful Girl” song morphs into a fashion show — did Walter Plunkett have extra costumes laying around? Not complaining, just wondering.

Planting a fashion show in the middle of a movie was a lot more common than you think . . . especially in the pre-WWII movies. Have you ever seen 1939’s “THE WOMEN”?

Was Donald O’Connor more talented than Gene Kelly? No, I don’t think so. I think their dancing styles were a little different. But I’ve always believed that on screen, Kelly worked better with O’Connor than he did with Fred Astaire.

Although I would never regard the “Singin in the Rain” number as technically dazzling (neither did Kelly for that matter), there is something about it – on an emotional level – that is magic for me.

I don’t really care for the “Broadway Melody” ballet that much, but there are aspects of it that I really love – especially Kelly’s first dance number with Cyd Charisse. In the words of Joe E. Brown . . . “Zoowieee!”.

The Zip girl and the Goth were meant to reference silent era actresses Bow (as noted) and Goth girl was Theda Bara who had same slightly goth vibe. As for the costumes they’re definitely through a 50s filter but consider that this was like Mad men –hardly a generation away, everyone alive could recall the era pictured! So I bet I could find you a Vogue or Sears illustration of every outfit you see–each one is quite recognizable to me as a very 20s treatment, really! Lastly–love this movie for so many lines…”whaddaya think I am, dumb er Somethin?” is only one not yet quoted…

Just one note, though? You don’t have to say “un-PC” when what you mean is “racist”. It’s a movie made in the ’50s about Hollywood in the ’20s, it’d be kind of shocking if there WASN’T anything racist in it, to be honest.

Well, it’s more than just ‘racist’ — the fake African movie is a culturally imperialist cliche too. There’s A LOT wrong going on in that scene, & this particular post is meant as a flippant light-hearted review. We have others where we go into more detail.

Wow, I was rereading this in honor of the Debbie Reynolds article and I didn’t see you had responded to my comment months ago. Sorry!

As someone for whom racism affects on a damn near everyday basis (it’s generally pretty hard to hide the fact I’m a Black woman from people), I call “racism” where I see racism, in no small part because I hate the term “political correctness”. “Political correctness” is a reactionary term favored by bigots to silence oppression and resistance to oppression, which is why people like a certain President-Elect can say “I’m not politically correct!” and have it go over great with a distressing portion of the population in a way that saying “I’m racist!” would probably not.

Also, cultural imperialism is a form of racism in most cases, so I’d say it still stands.

I thought so too, Nit-Picking Badger. The only thing that they could have done to hit the audience over the head with it was to have Olga Mara drape herself over something, say a coffin, and ask the photographer if he got the picture (Negro did at Valentino’s funeral).

Just watched Deep in My Heart … the bio-pic of Sigmund Romberg. As a bio-pic of a composer, it is full of musical numbers. Half way through Anne Miller has a great song and dance bit … and the other women in this sequence are all wearing dresses from Singing in the Rain … most of the fashion show outfits, Zelda’s silver, black and white fringed number from the movie premier, the sequined spider dress also from the movie premier (IMDB says Julie Newmar is wearing it) and the fabulous green dress (much less fabulous when not filled by Cyd Charisse).
This movie also has my new favorite Cyd Charisse dress … it is a masterpiece of draping.